Un Natale per ritrovarsi

My Southern Family Christmas (2022) -

I still find it really hard to believe that journalists take so long to write one article and that they have to visit somewhere for a week to get it done. Surely that's like printing your own money? Or money for old rope as my lovely old Nan would have said, because it sounds piss easy to me.

Initially I couldn't get on board with Jaicy Elliott as Campbell, which I will admit was due to her less traditional appearance. She wasn't what I would have called a typical romantic leading lady, but by the end of the film I was on her side.

It was a bit obvious that they had added glasses to Ryan Rottman's character, Jackson, in order to make him look a bit geeky and suitable for Campbell though.

And the lovers didn't have much chance for their relationship to develop, but they did seem kind of appropriate for each other.

The story focussed more on Campbell reconnecting with her Dad, Everett, played by Bruce Campbell, who gave what I thought was his best performance ever. I'd never been a fan of his other works or the "Humour" that came as part of them, so it was interesting to see him playing it straight and nailing it.

The deception element was a tad frustrating and the upset that it was going to cause was obvious, but the emotions and concept of the story did tug at the heartstrings a bit.

Also, the kids in the film weren't horrendous, so that was nice too.

A story of finding family at Christmas and making the most of it.

6.75/10.

My Southern Family Christmas is my new favorite movie, not just for Christmas, the town is awesome the actors were amazing, the characters were very relatable and likeable. I will be showing this movie to my whole family Jaicy Elliott did an amazing job as Campbell, love Bruce Cameron as Everett, loved that is was set in Louisiana, you dont see many movies set in the Bayou, I want to see more movies set in the south, and it was cool getting to know more about Pere Noel, the two young ladies that played Mary Margaret and Amila were great, the whole cast did an amazing job, would love to see a part 2 to this movie!

This is a surprisingly sweet Hallmark family drama in which a reporter gets to know her biological father, who she thought abandoned her, under the guise of doing a story on him as his Louisiana town's newly appointed acting Père Noel. Jaicy Elliot as reporter Campbell Wallace, hoes to Louisiana for a Cajun Christmas to do a story on their new Père Noel and Cajun Christmas traditions like the lighting of bonfires. What the new Père Noel, Everett Bergeron (Bruce Campbell) doesn't know is that she is actually his daughter. Campbell gets to see what a wonderful man and loving father Everett is to his new family and his two other daughters...and she struggles with if or how to tell him that she is his eldest daughter.

The end is excellent and well worth the watch. I really like Bruce Campbell and I loved him in Burn Notice, he is a great comedian. I enjoyed seeing him as a loving father in this film...it was also fun to see Moira Kelly (she played his wife), who I haven't seen since the film Cutting Edge (which is a guilty pleasure of mine).

My one complaint is that I wish there were more actual Cajuns in this film. I appreciate their lyrical accents and missed hearing the endearing cherie (or as they say "cher"). As a big fan of Michael Doucet and BeauSoleil, I also secretly wished there was more Cajun music and traditions...like the ball of fire or boule de feu.

But having said that, this is still a recommendation from me...the endearing story kind of transcends what it lacked in Cajun authenticity.

In today's world of shows and movies it is a bright spot to find these story gems in the fray. The story line and flow was spot on, and the characters were convincing. I really enjoyed the setting, all be it, I am from Baton Rouge and a bit bias. The story line is one that hits home with adopted children and the care that was given to the script to not over sensationalize it, while still providing a plot with "stickshun" (staying tuned in) was expert. Almost every parish in Louisiana has some form of festival throughout the year. I think the festival that was portrait in the movie reflects the family lifestyle that still exist in Louisiana. Hope to see more work like this in the future.

I really enjoyed the new take on a Christmas movie here for Hallmark! There was no looking for love, or finding love, or running into an old love, as in every other Hallmark movie. At least not in the typical sense. And that's what made it interesting for me. Waiting until almost the very end to reveal the secret made you wonder throughout the movie how it was going to happen. Like another review here, I really appreciated that they didn't use fake Cajun accents, or attempted Cajun accents, which are quite difficult to do accurately. I lived in Louisiana for 12 years, and so I would immediately have hooked onto a bad accent, which would have definitely had me turning off the TV, as it would have been like hearing nails on a chalkboard.

The only things that I wish the Director would have done is to have pulled out more range from the lead female actress. She was very one note in her emotions. The dialogue may have shown anger or frustration, but her face never did. And the only thing that revealed her happiness was a smile. But all smiles were the same! And also the love connection was either edited way, way back in the final screenplay, or didn't happen at all. These two people who barely said two words to each other, and maybe spend 20 minutes together were in love? There should've been a rewrite for that part for sure.